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Approx cost on changing a setting head?

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beaujolais

beaujolais

Ideal_Rock
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Dec 4, 2007
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Hi. Does anyone have an approx. guess at the cost (head & labor) (either gold or platinum) on how much it might be to buy and change a head on a setting (in NY)? Going from round to cushion.

Thanks.
 
This would depend on how much work they need to do, how big is diamond they will need to mount, the style of head you pick, gold vs plat (big diff in price)
 
Great thanks.

Why, oh why, the last time I bought a setting did they told me that the platinum head cost $300 itself when the above site has it about $60-100? It was just a simple six prong head. (ouch)
 
I had mine replaced recently in white gold and it was around $130, I am in Ohio
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Those prices cited on the site by strm are misleading and off by about 300-500%...even though it says they change daily on metal spot prices, the basis pricing is set for $400 gold and $850 platinum...hardly realistic.
 
Date: 3/20/2008 2:00:12 AM
Author: DiamondExpert
Those prices cited on the site by strm are misleading and off by about 300-500%...even though it says they change daily on metal spot prices, the basis pricing is set for $400 gold and $850 platinum...hardly realistic.
Click to expand...
no they arent they have been jumping in price.
 
Date: 3/19/2008 5:13:36 PM
Author: strmrdr
plat heads:
http://www.gsgold.com/cart/idxplatinum.asp

yg heads:

http://www.gsgold.com/cart/idx18k.asp

wg heads:

http://www.gsgold.com/cart/idxwhite18k.asp

+ labor which could be anywhere from $40 to $100 or so.
Click to expand...
The range is quite a bit higher than this. For starters, different manufacturers charge different prices for their heads. To some extent it’s just a matter of how much metal they are using but there are also different techniques of manufacturing and some are more costly to do than others. Secondly, most jewelers are charging a markup on the materials they sell, just like every other store. The services of the people who help you choose the right parts for your particular job, ship them in, return them if they are wrong or defective, warranty them etc. are not ‘free’ even if they aren’t separately billed.

Assembly costs vary tremendously depending on the details. Some jobs are pretty easy and some are an enormous pain. A few are impossible, or at least ill advised. Again, the people doing the work expect to be paid and the expert assistance to know which sorts of modifications and which sorts of pieces will work properly for YOUR job are not usually separately billed but they too deserve to be paid. I know shops that will not begin to install even the easiest platinum head for less than $50 and this can get into the hundreds if modifications are required to accommodate the change in size or shape. This isn’t counting setting fees which can go anywhere from a few dollars per stone to something on the order of $250/ct. with a several hundred dollar minimum. It just depends on the shop and the job. The cheapest are rarely the best and visa versa. By all means ask them to defend their pricing structures and if they can’t justify why their skills are worth more than their competition then take a hike. I usually advise diamond and high end colored stone customers to shop labor based on quality first and price second rather than the reverse. Setting on a $20 amethyst isn't going to be held to the same standard as a 4 carat diamond and you may want to choose a different craftsman (or woman) for the job. There’s a lot of jewelers out there and very few of them can and will meet the Pricescope quality standards.

Neil Beaty
GG(GIA) ICGA(AGS) NAJA
Professional Appraisals in Denver
 
Strm - I''ve gone back this morning and looked again, and those prices are still very low - by about 2x - it''s hard to determine the dwt. for comparison, but these findings are probably lighter weight than I''m used to using.
 
Date: 3/20/2008 10:52:07 AM
Author: DiamondExpert
Strm - I've gone back this morning and looked again, and those prices are still very low - by about 2x - it's hard to determine the dwt. for comparison, but these findings are probably lighter weight than I'm used to using.
Click to expand...
the heads are comparable in weight too the equivalent stuller and a bit less money and have been for a long time.
The shanks and settings cant really be compared because there is a huge range of weights and I havent seen one.
The heads and a few of the pendant settings I have.

Update see post below!
 
Date: 3/20/2008 9:22:48 AM
Author: denverappraiser

The range is quite a bit higher than this. For starters, different manufacturers charge different prices for their heads. To some extent it’s just a matter of how much metal they are using but there are also different techniques of manufacturing and some are more costly to do than others. Secondly, most jewelers are charging a markup on the materials they sell, just like every other store. The services of the people who help you choose the right parts for your particular job, ship them in, return them if they are wrong or defective, warranty them etc. are not ‘free’ even if they aren’t separately billed.

Assembly costs vary tremendously depending on the details. Some jobs are pretty easy and some are an enormous pain. A few are impossible, or at least ill advised. Again, the people doing the work expect to be paid and the expert assistance to know which sorts of modifications and which sorts of pieces will work properly for YOUR job are not usually separately billed but they too deserve to be paid. I know shops that will not begin to install even the easiest platinum head for less than $50 and this can get into the hundreds if modifications are required to accommodate the change in size or shape. This isn’t counting setting fees which can go anywhere from a few dollars per stone to something on the order of $250/ct. with a several hundred dollar minimum. It just depends on the shop and the job. The cheapest are rarely the best and visa versa. By all means ask them to defend their pricing structures and if they can’t justify why their skills are worth more than their competition then take a hike. I usually advise diamond and high end colored stone customers to shop labor based on quality first and price second rather than the reverse. Setting on a $20 amethyst isn''t going to be held to the same standard as a 4 carat diamond and you may want to choose a different craftsman (or woman) for the job. There’s a lot of jewelers out there and very few of them can and will meet the Pricescope quality standards.

Neil Beaty
GG(GIA) ICGA(AGS) NAJA
Professional Appraisals in Denver
Click to expand...
In some ways I agree and others I dont.
I think the range listed is a good baseline and depending on who is doing the work consumers can adjust what they are willing too pay or find someone else.
The $100 labor cost is almost 3x over what I can get it done for.
 
Update:
I just called my friend and the sheet pricing is adjusted but the findings are not.
The are based on $400 for Gold, $850 for Platinum and $6 for Silver

So the plat prices need too be adjusted by about ~2.25x and the gold by ~2.5xgold% (.75 for 18k)
spot/850*.95 or .90 for plat, spot/400*.75 for 18k gold

Sorry Gary you were right and I was wrong.
 
Strm - OK - that''s what I read on the site...few catalogues are up to date with listed prices...not to wonder with the wild swings in metal prices.

Another factor, less easily evaluated, is that some mfgrs. do not consistently produce defect free items, and poor quality control will quickly turn away customers...nothing worse than having a pitted/poorly cast piece which will drop a prong due to metal weakness! I don''t know how these folks rate, but cheaper isn''t always better.
 
Date: 3/20/2008 1:27:38 PM
Author: DiamondExpert
Strm - OK - that''s what I read on the site...few catalogues are up to date with listed prices...not to wonder with the wild swings in metal prices.

Another factor, less easily evaluated, is that some mfgrs. do not consistently produce defect free items, and poor quality control will quickly turn away customers...nothing worse than having a pitted/poorly cast piece which will drop a prong due to metal weakness! I don''t know how these folks rate, but cheaper isn''t always better.
Click to expand...
I''d rate the quality as being higher than the stuller average on the ones I have seen.
 
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